Novak Djokovic has been forced to miss two Grand Slams this year. His decision not to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus has deeply affected his schedule, in addition to causing serious damage to his image. The former world number 1 turned his season around by winning Wimbledon for the seventh time in his career.
Novak not only equaled his idol Pete Sampras, but also closed the distance that separates him from Rafael Nadal in the classification of all Majors. The 21-time Slam champion had waited until the end to play the US Open, but the rules at the border remained unchanged.
A few hours before the draw, the Serbian veteran announced that he had to give up his last Major of the season as he was unable to travel to the United States. Subsequently, the USTA announced that it would not be able to apply for a waiver in favor of Djokovic.
The American Federation responded indirectly to the harsh accusations of Tennys Sandgren, who had accused her of doing nothing to help Novak. Through his Twitter profile, Greg Rusedski expressed his regret at the absence of Novak Djokovic at the US Open.
“It’s really a shame that the strongest player in the world had to give up two Grand Slams in 2022,” Rusedski wrote. Radio host Clay Travis also sided with Novak: “True to his principles, Novak Djokovic has missed two Majors this year.
We’re talking about two tournaments that he would have been the favorite to win. Djokovic would have been the man to beat at both the Australian and US Opens and it is likely that he would have taken home at least one title.
Considering that concrete is his favorite surface, he could have lifted both trophies and stretched out in the rankings of all Grand Slams.”
Ackman reflects on Djokovic
Hedge fund manager and billionaire investor Bill Ackman talked about Novak Djokovic.
“Actually, Novak deserves credit for setting up the ptpa he stepped back after I got involved and Pospisil has been leading the charge for the PTPA. But what I quickly realized is we wouldn’t make this organization work as a philanthropic organization.
Nole is not an investor in the entity, in fact, we’re returning the capital to people (players) who put up capital to start the PTPA. This is for all of the players. Novak Djokovic needs this organization the least, he didn’t start this for himself, he did it for legacy reasons, he knows about how hard it is,” Ackman added.
